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The News

August 13, 2009

I was intrigued this evening with your call on Christian pastors to step up and extol the virtues of the proposed changes to our nation’s health system.

First, I agree with you. I would hope the people in the little country church I serve in my retirement are quite familiar with my feelings about their responsibilities to care for all God’s children. So, you and I are in agreement on the needs here. You ask “What is your church doing about health care? I’m calling on church leaders to explain where they stand.” (I think that’s a fairly accurate quote.)

Now, again, I do state where I stand. And my denomination is doing quite a lot in health care. But ....

Don’t you presume to lecture me on matters of ethics and responsibility. Your cute tirade against the pastors circled around your WWJD question. Well, Mr. Schultz, the crux of the issue is not what Jesus would do. We all know what Jesus would do. The question is “What will you do?”

When, Mr. Schultz, will you as a representative of one of the major "news" outlets begin to try and get a grip on your moral obligations, not mine. When will you quit being the front for a show that fills an hour in the cheapest way possible? When will you stop using downloads from YouTube as your media source and start sending people out to cover the news.

When will you take responsibility for the fact that your network’s constant discussion of the hotheads instead of asserting some moral and ethical leadership to inform the people of the various provisions on the bill? When will you have experts sit around your table - not representatives of other outlets similar to yours or politicians who have vested interests - and analyze in a thoughtful and precise manner what is being proposed.

You, Mr. Schultz, are calling me to task as a Christian leader to let folks know where I stand. I am calling you to task to be a journalist whose purpose is more than to fill the hour with verbiage. Let’s take the health care proposals for example. Have you, Mr. Schultz, read either the Senate or the House version? Somehow, I doubt you have, sir.

So, until you and your fellow MSNBC anchors begin to exercise your ethical and moral responsibility to inform us instead of finding the cheapest method of obtaining ratings, think twice before you decide to throw a rock.

I’ve been writing this as I listened to your show. You just went off and Hardball started with these words, “Who’s winning the Town Hall wars?” Here we go again.

In all fairness, however, your network is not alone. If I changed the channel it would be more of the same or much, much worse.

Would you do me a favor. After reading this mark out your name and pencil in the names of the other anchors and pass it on.

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